Caitlin Kirkman, LM, CPM – Clinical Director & Co-Founder

Founder

Midwifery began calling to me at a very early age. I was drawn to pregnant women and babies before I even knew what a Midwife was. I found conception, pregnancy and birth to be mysterious and fascinating. As a child I thought I wound grow up and be a doctor that “delivered” babies, although once I discovered midwifery I knew I wanted to be with women as they did the delivering, while I provided safety and held the space for them to do their work.

To me birth is the very foundation of life. I fiercely believe that how we come into this world matters. I know not every birth is or can be a scene of tranquil beauty, but I do know that every birthing woman and baby deserves respect, dignity, loving support and education in this process. As a woman, a midwife, and a human being I have the utmost respect for birth and the mystery it reveals time and time again. When you see birth in its most raw and intended state, you not only see the biology of human nature unravel, which is fascinating, but you get to see a woman become a mother and fall in the deepest of love. I feel that experience must be protected for every woman desiring it. Midwifery meets me on many levels. Spiritually, intellectually, personally and politically there is nothing that I love more or calls to me like midwifery.

In 2008 I started my formal midwifery education in California with Elizabeth Davis’ Midwifery Intensives. In January 2009 I moved to Soldotna, AK on the Kenai Peninsula and began an apprenticeship at a birth center where I caught my first baby when I was twenty-one years old. I became a Certified Professional Midwife in the fall of 2011 and moved to California where I started assisting Licensed Midwives doing home birth. In 2012 I went through the California Challenge process and received my California Midwifery license with the intention of opening a birth center that truly serves women and their families. During the three years it took to conceive and birth Thrive Birth Center I attended homebirths all over Sonoma, Mendocino, Napa and Marin counties as California Licensed Midwife. June of 2014 my vision and dream of opening a community birthing & resource center came to life when we opened Thrive. I share the vision for worldwide gentle birth – starting here – in my community.

Hands down the best and only option for me. The Midwives are now part of my new family. They were there for the most important, transformative experience of my life and they’ll be there when baby two comes into this world. Love, love, love them.

I was all set to deliver at Kaiser, which my insurance from work fully covered, but as my pregnancy progressed, something important was missing from their care and I found myself pressured by and arguing with them when they didn’t respect my carefully researched decisions. I found myself dreading and afraid of the hospital birth. The Thrive Birth Center practices a totally different model of care, where they support mamas emotionally as well as physically, they respect mama’s choices without jud…

To the dad’s out there: take this class with your wife/significant other! Kelly spent a lot of time explaining the role dad plays in the process. I was nervous/unsure about what, if any role I would have but Kelly really reinforces the idea that delivery is a family event and helped us understand all the emotional and physical support mom needs throughout the process and how dad can best provide that support. Mom is definitely the star of the show, but dad is an important role-player and i…

I am an overworked individual who doesn’t have time to shop for healthy food, much less cook it at the end of a long day. When I met Tessa, it was such a blessing to have her work with me on my food situation. On top of being overworked, I needed to lose a few pounds. We worked out a plan that flowed so perfectly. Weekly, she would drop off the most gorgeous and healthy food that would last me all week. I even had enough to share!
She since has started creating incredible food for our mont…

I cannot say enough wonderful things about my experience giving birth at Thrive with Caitlin and her team. This was my second child and I was excited to have a non-hospital birth, and I felt comfortable the whole way through in Caitlin’s hands. She has such a gentle confidence and nurturing spirit, and really showed her innate talent as a midwife on our delivery day — a supportive presence to support my own ability, but at the same time came in with some of her midwifery skills when I need…

Tessa’s therapeutic nutrition practice is an incredible asset to our community. I’ve attended two of her classes, and I absolutely love learning from her! She is very experienced and extremely knowledgable. Her passion for health and helping others holistically, really shines in the foods she prepares, as well as the positive and relaxed environment she creates. The vibrant spread of food was unparalleled, pure & medicinal deliciousness! She introduced me to many new and exciting recipes t…

The ladies…were all stars throughout the whole pregnancy and birth. They answered all of my silly questions, even the ones I could have looked up in their all inclusive manual myself, at all times of the day (though I did try not to call at unreasonable times). They were warm and encouraging, and flexible (coming to me when it was more convenient for my husband and I who were also trying to fix up and move into a new house the last trimester!) I loved my checkup visits, seems weird to say/write …

I feel in some ways like they helped me hang the moon. I know they say that my experience is the norm as far as they’re concerned, but it’s really not the norm in our society, so I feel very lucky to have had such fantastic birth experiences. I recommend them to anyone looking for a midwife!

We recently took the 2 day holistic birthing class at Thrive. It was a fantastic class. There was great information presented in a relaxed environment. There were important discussions for both families birthing at the center and families going the hospital route. My husband and I felt more connected after the relaxation exercises and feel the class helped us mentally prepare the upcoming birth of our daughter.